2017 #2, Issue 75

‘s augustusCLUB 2017 | No. 2, Issue 75 The Art of Persuasion: Convincing Corporations That Consumers Care Most people are familiar with PETA’s colorful One of our most successful tactics has been buying demonstrations and grassroots campaign techniques stock—or working with PETA members who own stock for pressuring corporations to end animal abuse. in the companies that we’re trying to infl uence—so that But there’s another facet of PETA’s strategy that the we can submit shareholder resolutions and attend their public seldom sees: our shareholder annual meetings. This tactic activism and boardroom negotiations has helped us get a foot in with corporate decisionmakers. the door, because companies We’ve had success with some of the hate it when we speak at their biggest names in the business world, yearly “pep rallies.” Even the from Ann Taylor and Anthropologie mere threat of attending such to Zappos and Zara. meetings has opened doors that were previously shut tight. Working Behind the Scenes Before we ever publicly target Dairy’s Dark Secret companies, we always attempt to While our real desire is for the work cooperatively with them. For world to go vegan, we are every one we’ve openly protested, pragmatic and know that such there are dozens more working with a transition won’t happen fast us behind the scenes. enough to affect the animals who are suffering right now. Led by our Corporate Affairs Department, these So while we push hard to promote a vegan lifestyle, we collaborations are one of the most effective areas also do what we can to improve their living conditions, of PETA’s work—we see victories almost weekly as as long as it does not allow people to rationalize a result of our discussions with top executives. continuing to buy meat and milk products. The Art of Persuasion: Convincing Corporations That Consumers Care ............................................1 Meet Anne Brainard, PETA’s Director of Inside Corporate Affairs .................................................4 Animals Are Wondrous: Alligators and THIS ISSUE Crocodiles .............................................................6 You Are PETA: Augustus Club Member Ricardo Ferreira .................................................................8 augustusCLUB Here’s one of the dairy industry’s best-kept dark secrets, which has prompted many people to request our vegan starter kit after learning the truth: As documented in a PETA eyewitness investigation, standard dehorning procedures Wool, Feathers, and Skins include burning off calves’ horn buds as they thrash Of course, being vegan isn’t just in agony and smoke rises from their seared fl esh. about what’s on people’s plates—it’s They are not provided with any pain relief. also about what’s in their homes and closets. That’s why we target industries and specifi c companies As the only animal-protection group actively addressing that use animal-derived materials for fashion and the issue of dehorning, PETA has persuaded companies furnishings—including angora, wool, down, and exotic such as Amy’s Kitchen, Baskin-Robbins, Chipotle, skins. And have we ever seen a transformation! Chobani, Compass Group, Dannon, Dean Foods (one of the largest U.S. dairy processors), Dunkin’ Donuts, Thanks to the shocking revelations of PETA Asia’s General Mills (which owns Häagen-Dazs and Yoplait, investigation of angora farms—showing rabbits tied among other brands), Harris Teeter, Kroger, Mondelˉez down and screaming as their fur is ripped out—PETA International (which owns Cadbury, Nabisco, Oreo, and our international affi liates have persuaded more and many European brands), Nestlé, Peet’s Coffee & than 200 retailers to ban angora wool. The list includes Tea, PepsiCo, and Shake Shack to pressure their dairy Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, bebe, Calvin Klein, Eddie suppliers to stop this cruel mutilation while also pushing Bauer, Esprit, Express, Forever 21, Gap Inc., H&M, them to offer more vegan foods. Lands’ End, L Brands, Perry Ellis, PUMA, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfi ger, QVC, Zappos, and many others. At PETA’s behest, not only did Inditex—the world’s largest clothing retailer and the owner of Zara—stop selling angora, it also donated all 50,000 angora garments in its remaining stock to refugees in Iraq and Lebanon. We have decimated the angora trade: Chinese angora exports are down by 81 percent. We’re also working to stop the exploitation and abuse of sheep for their wool. Within a two-year span, PETA released six video exposés of the wool industry that © iStock.com/EVAfotografi e © iStock.com/EVAfotografi documented cruelty on three continents, proving that there’s no such thing as “humane” or “responsibly sourced” wool. As a result, top labels are making changes, and this will eventually have an impact on meat prices as well. For example, designer Stella McCartney and retailer Patagonia suspended all purchases of wool after the release of our video exposé showing workers in Argentina hacking into fully conscious lambs on farms in the Ovis 21 network—a supposedly “sustainable” wool supplier. Luxury goods company Kering also stopped using Ovis 21 as a source for all its brands, including Balenciaga and Gucci. And retailer Brooks Brothers stopped purchasing wool from a supplier affi liated with two Chilean sheep farms after a PETA exposé revealed that workers had cut off 2 Giving Animals a Future lambs’ tails and punctured their ears without any pain Our exposé revealed that birds are imprisoned in barren relief, stabbed fully conscious sheep in the neck in order dirt feedlots, where their feathers are sometimes yanked to kill them, causing them to kick frantically as they out while they’re held in a restraining device. At the slowly died, and even skinned one animal alive. slaughterhouse, they’re electrically stunned and fl ipped upside down, and their throats are cut. As a result of our Ducks and geese have no better friend than PETA, exposé, Global Brands Group banned ostrich-derived particularly since we launched our campaign against products from its controlled brands, including David down—the fi rst one of its kind in the animal-protection Beckham, Frye, Jennifer Lopez, Jones New York, Juicy movement. PETA’s exposé of so-called “humane” down Couture, and many others. suppliers revealed that on goose farms across China— where 80 percent of the world’s down and feathers are Cruelty Is Not Entertainment produced—workers stepped on geese’s delicate wings PETA has also achieved major victories in our campaign and necks, tightly bound their feet together, and ripped to end the advertising industry’s exploitation of their feathers out, causing them to scream and bleed. chimpanzees and orangutans, who are removed from their mothers as infants and typically subjected to After meeting with PETA, leading outdoor gear physical and psychological abuse during training, only manufacturer Coleman stopped using down in its to be discarded at roadside zoos when they reach gear, including sleeping bags, and online clothing adolescence and become too strong to handle. Thanks retailer Haband—which boasts more than 5 million to PETA’s efforts, our list of advertising agencies that customers—stopped selling all down products. have pledged not to use great apes now includes 40 In addition, PETA U.K. persuaded ASOS’ private of the top agencies in the U.S.—including the top 10. label as well And we are out to win over the rest! as Dr. Martens, Hobbs, Nigel Hall In another exciting initiative, PETA and our international Menswear, Reiss, affi liates have persuaded dozens of travel agencies and Topshop to to stop promoting captive-elephant “attractions” go down-free. and the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor.com, to stop selling tickets to activities that put wild and PETA also endangered animals (and human travelers) at risk, persuaded including elephant rides, tiger encounters, and Williams Sonoma “swim with dolphins” excursions. and its subsidiaries Pottery Barn and You’re Vital to PETA’s Success west elm—as well It’s often easier to induce companies as Restoration to improve their animal-welfare Hardware, Crate policies by meeting and building & Barrel, and its cooperative relationships with sister store CB2— them, and it’s usually faster and less to offer synthetic expensive than launching a public alternatives to all their down products. campaign. However, if that doesn’t work, you can bet that we’ll launch And the victories for animals keep coming: an effort replete with action alerts Following discussions with PETA, Marriott asking our supporters to make their reduced its use of down bedding by voices heard. 50 percent and Marriott brands Moxy Hotels and AC Hotels banned down altogether! Our supporters then fl ood the companies with e-mails, and we often get calls from CEOs asking us to make When The New York Times broke PETA’s exposé of the them stop. Your voice makes a greater impact than you highly secretive ostrich-slaughter industry in South Africa, can possibly imagine. So keep up the fantastic work, and which supplies ostrich skins for top accessory labels, the thank you for making PETA’s vital corporate campaigns public outcry left the exotic-skins industry reeling. so successful through your generous support! 3 augustusCLUB A model of persuasive diplomacy, Anne Brainard has led many successful PETA campaigns. She induced Gap Inc., H&M, and Inditex—the three largest clothing retailers in the world—to ban angora wool from their shelves, leading Inditex to donate more than 50,000 brand-new angora items to refugees in Iraq and Lebanon. She also persuaded popular home-goods stores— such as Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and Restoration Hardware—to offer feather-free bedding and pillows as an alternative to down. N Augustus Club: How did you become involved in animal rights? Anne Brainard: Like most kids, I grew up loving animals.

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